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Tucson tops for road biking, says Outside magazine

July 26, 2010 (9:40 am) | Permanent Link

Teya Vitu

Outside magazine named Tucson the Best for Road Biking in its Best Towns 2010 feature in the August edition.

The magazine especially noted the Sam Hughes Neighborhood, which it described as “small and quaint…and home to adobe homes, university profs, and a palm-tree-lined section of the 3rd Street bike boulevard – Tucson’s first of 40 proposed cyclist-friendly routes throughout the city.”

Outside denoted Michael McKisson as the “hometown hero” for his creation this year of the TucsonVelo.com Web site.

Kurt Rosenquist keeps rather busy maintaining bicycles at Fitworks Cycling Support, 186 E. Broadway, which he moved Downtown last December.

“We really are extremely lucky in Tucson to have all these routes and loops and access to mountains. That’s pretty rare,” Rosenquist said.

Rosenquist does acknowledge, despite the accolades, the local cycling scene is not all rosy. He said cyclists and motorists both need to share the road better.

“Cyclists think they own the road; drivers think they own the road,” Rosenquist said. “In many cities, things are better. In New York City, people are more respectful of cyclists.”

The magazine described living in Tucson as: “Unemployment is low: nearly 2 points below the national average. Living costs are even lower: 35 percent cheaper than San Diego. Air pollution: almost non-existent. The American Lung Association ranked the Old Pueblo as the country’s sixth-cleanest city for air particulates. And pretention? Fuggedaboutit. As evidenced by the Teva-and-jeans workplace attire, Tucson residents are as easygoing as they are open-minded. … The University of Arizona, Tucson’s second largest local employer, keeps the intellectual capital high, while the town’s vibrant arts scene (there’s a ballet, symphony and opera) keep locals entertained.”

The blurb also includes a photo of the Maynards Kitchen patio.

But the honor was for road biking, about which “Outside” wrote: “Situated at 2,397 feet, this desert community boasts more than 800 miles of roll-around-town bike paths. It’s also surrounded by five mountain ranges reaching up to 9,150 feet (think awesome climbing), a national park, a state park, and national forest. But the big sell for Tucson is as a cyclist’s paradise: You can pedal through serene desertscapes on any number of the 300 miles of well-maintained loops within 45 minutes of town – virtually all year long. Which is why pro squads like Lance Armstrong’s Team RadioShack train here in winter, when daytime temps hover in the sixties. Sure, it gets scorching hot in summer (expect highs in the hundreds in July and August), but that doesn’t faze the city’s diehards.”

The story did not mention Tucson’s premier road race, El Tour de Tucson (Nov. 20), which has its start and finish in Downtown.

But we’re sure that was an oversight.

Photo courtesy of Perimeter Bicycling Association/Ed Tunstall